Barney School Alumnus to Discuss His Work to Prevent Fraud in Afghanistan

United States Army Major David O’Hearn, whose current job is to prevent fraud in military contracting in Afghanistan, will speak at the University of Hartford on Wednesday, Feb. 16. O’Hearn’s presentation, part of the Barney School of Business Ethical Business Leadership Program, takes place from 5 to 6 p.m. in the Mali I Auditorium on the University campus, 200 Bloomfield Ave., West Hartford, Conn. The event is free and open to the public. (Mali I is located in Charles A. Dana Hall. See the campus map at www.hartford.edu/visitingcampus.)

Barney School alumnus O’Hearn will discuss ethical challenges in the private and public sectors and share insight and anecdotes from his professional experience. Since the summer of 2010 he has been stationed in Afghanistan with the National Guard where he oversees a unit of warranted contracting officers whose responsibilities include preventing fraud in military contracting. The unit manages construction for the Afghan public infrastructure, life support services needed for bases and outposts to function, and programs that help military organizations get supplies they need on short notice.

Prior to his deployment, O’Hearn was deputy commissioner of the Connecticut Department of Public Works’ design and construction division and part of the “CT Recovery Working Group,” that helped prioritize state and local “shovel-ready” projects for funding under the federal stimulus legislation.

O’Hearn has an MBA in finance (’99) and an MS in accounting and taxation (’06) from the Barney School. He also holds a BS and MS in structural civil engineering from UConn.

The Ethical Business Leadership Program is presented by the Barney School’s Beta Sigma Gamma honor society. Membership in Beta Gamma Sigma is the highest recognition a business student anywhere in the world can receive in a program accredited by AACSB International - The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business. The Barney School chapter is among the top six chapters worldwide, having been awarded Honorable Mention as an Outstanding Chapter in 2010.

“Lectures such as this one are essential for young entrepreneurs and business professionals to learn at the outset that ethical business is good business," said Peter Tedone, CEO of VantisLife, which is co-sponsoring the program. "This event is one step in making ethics an acceptable -- even routine -- topic of conversation, helping build ethical behavior into all processes of business organizations."